Public Housing Program

Click here to download the Housing Assistance Application

The Santa Fe County Housing Authority currently manages 209 Public Housing units located at three scattered housing neighborhoods.

The Valle Vista Housing Neighborhood, located off State Rd. 14, initially consisted of 100 public housing units. As a result of renovation and sale, 16 public housing units have been sold or are for sale leaving 84 units available for rent in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has an on-site office and manager as well as a satellite Boy’s & Girl’s Club located in the community center. Also located in the community center is a Headstart Program. The Housing Authority has built 12 new town-homes scattered throughout the neighborhood that will be sold to qualifying families under the Homeownership Program. Three of these town homes have been sold leaving nine available for sale. The neighborhood has active Resident Council and Block Leader Programs, both which meet monthly.

The Valle de Esperanza Housing Neighborhood, located in Santa Cruz, has a total of 52 units available for rent. As well as being surrounded by breathtaking views of the mountains, this housing neighborhood includes the Abedon Lopez Senior Center and a satellite Boy’s & Girl’s Club. Integrated into the neighborhood are 8 newly constructed town-homes that will be sold under the Housing Authority’s Homeownership Program. The Housing Authority is in the process of establishing an office in the neighborhood and implementing part-time on-site management. The neighborhood has a Resident Council that meets monthly.

The Camino de Jacobo Housing Neighborhood has 68 units available for rent. The neighborhood includes a satellite Boy’s & Girls Club located in the community center. The neighborhood also has an active Resident Council. The Housing Authority’s Administration Office is located in this neighborhood.

Families interested in applying for this program must complete an application at the Administration Office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday. The average time a family will spend on the waiting list prior to receiving public housing assistance is 12 months.

Program Qualification Guidelines

To qualify for housing assistance, families must qualify as low income (below 80% of the area median income). The income limits that are published annually in the Federal Register dictate what these figures are and will determine income eligibility.

The Housing Authority has also implemented a Working Family Preference. Applicants who have been working a minimum of 24 hours per week at minimum wage for the previous 6 months qualify for the preference. Applicants who are attending school full-time (12 credit hours per semester) or who are participating in a self-sufficiency program also receive the preference.

Families who are determined to be elderly, handicapped or disabled also receive a preference.

Guidelines that regulate the Pubic Housing Program are stipulated in the Housing Authority’s Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP). The Guidelines that regulate the Housing Choice Voucher Program are stipulated in the Administrative Plan. The Family Self-Sufficiency Program guidelines are contained in the Program’s Action Plan. These guidelines are posted in the lobby of the Housing Authority’s Administration Office.